Rotary coupler



Dec. 20, 1955 E. H. BLATTNER ROTARY COUPLER 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed May 24, 1951 Bm] B13277261 Dec. 20, 1955 E, H, BLATTNER 2,727,635

, ROTARY COUPLER Filed May 24, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Erp. 6,

g3 FI? 5' "0 ATTURNISY 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 E. H. BLATTNER ROTARY COUPLER Dec. 20, 1955 Filed May 24, 1951 INVENTpm Y ATTORNEY United States Pate'tttOli-tice 1 2,727,635 ROTARY COUPLER Emil H. Blattner, Williamsville, N. Y., assignor to The Symington-Gould Corporation, Depew, N. Y., a corporation of Maryland p Application May 24, 1951, Serial No. 228,030

9 Claims. (Cl. 213-72) This invention relates, generally speaking, to an improvement in draft attachments for railway cars and more particularly to a novel combination of coupler and shank which will permit the rotation of the couplers along their longitudinal axes caused by the cars around curves or by the rotation of one car with respect to a coupled car, when such rotation about the axis o f the coupler is caused by a dumping machine.

The principal object of the invention is to provide in combination with a two-part coupler shank means carried by one part for yieldably maintaining the said parts in proper assembled relation. l

Another object of the invention is to provide a two-part coupler shank in which the outer member is adapted to cooperate with the coupler carry-iron, the outer member also being adapted to extend rearwardly so as to be releaseably coupled to a standard yoke.

Other features of the invention will hereinafter appear from the detailed description of the illustrated embodiments of my invention shown .on the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view vof a car center sill and the draft attachments, portions of the latter being shown inV elevation.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially on line attachments and yoke being'shown in elevation.

Figure 3 is a transverse, vertical sectional View taken on line 3 3 of Figure 2. N t

Figure 4 is a similar view to Figure 3, taken on line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 `is a similar view to Figure 3, taken on line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a verticalsectional view taken along the line 6 6 of Figure 2. y

Figures 7 to 10, inclusive, are views illustrating a slight modification, Figure 7, being a view similar to Figure 1, Figure 8 a view similar to Figure-2, and Figures 9 and 10 being, respectively, vertical cross-sectional views taken on lines 9-9 and 10-10 of Figure 8.

Throughout the specification and drawings like'parts. are designated by like `reference characters. t

In the drawings the numeral .ldesignatesthe longitudi-V nalcenterzsills, of a railway ;car,.l,only.p`ortions of the same `beingillustrated; Thesesillslmay, if desired, be formed. asl-bars 2 as illustratedinFiguresl andt5 ofy thel drawings. ...Connected tothe outer.` end. of .the center sills isthe usual. striking casting. Stand couplercarry-iron 4 and cross-member 5. The striking casting mayebe riveted to the flanges and web of the center sill by rivets 6, although any acceptable form of fastening means may be used. Each of the .sills isgprovided withI aligned slots 7 adapted `tonreceive the flanges 8V of the front stop lug 9, theglatter being connected'to the sills 1`lb`y rivets orwelding, not shown, in the usual manner; w I.,

The stop lugs 9 areA provided fwith abuttingyfaces 10, against-.which thefllowerll isadapted normally to bear. `Rearwardly ofthe stop` lugs 9'are the rear-draft lugs 12, the abuttingnfaces 13,of `which-are adapted `to engagera followergll` or the rear endA of a frictoncasing, asgdesirede- Interposed between'the followers 11 and 14 and diagrammaticallyillustrated by the dash lines 15 is a cushioning mechanis'm whichrr'iaybe of anydesired type or `construction so long as t`yieldab1y resists fnove- V 2-2 of Figure A1, `certain parts -of thev 2,727,635 Patented Dec. 20, 1955 ment of the coupler from normal.

The draft gear 15 is positioned within the yoke 17 and the latter is maintained in proper position vertically between the-sills 1 by means of the carry-iron 18 which is adapted to bridge between the sills 1 and to be secured thereto by rivets 19 or other suitable fastening means. The yoke 17, as illustrated, is of the vertical type, having a closed inner end 20 which may be of I section 21, as shown in Figure l, and is provided at its opposite ends with a pair of spaced jaws 22 having longitudinal slots 23 therein through which the coupler key 24 is adapted to extend.

Interposed between the inner faces of the yoke jaws 22 is one part 25 of a two-part coupler shank 26. The part 25 is made in two pieces and comprises a rectangular rear portion 27 having therein a slot 28 through 16 in either longitudinal direction which the key 24 is adapted to pass, the rear end 29 of this portion being normally adapted to engage the front face of the follower 11.

It will be noted from Figures l and 2 the part 25 is provided with adjacent flat faces 30 and with a plurality of rivet-receiving openings 31, and is provided approximately intermediate its ends with a llat face portion 32 and a cylindrical portion 33, the cylindrical portion 33 opening rearwardly into the enlarged cylindrical portion 34. Above and below the cylindrical portion 33 there is provided flat faces 35 which are adapted to contact when the pieces are in assembled position. These pieces are further provided with ing means 36 are adapted to extend so that the part 25 has its two pieces rigidly connected by the rivets 31 and the fastening means 36 so as to form a rigid member extending from the front follower to the shoulder 37 of the coupler 16, the latter rearwardly of the shoulder being provided with a cylindrical stem portion 38, constituting the other part of the two-part coupler shank 26 and ending in an enlarged collar 39 adapted to seat Within the enlarged portion 34 of the part or member 25.

The cylindrical collar 39 of the coupler stem or memberv38 is provided with a flat transverse portion 40 which is disposed normal to the vertical axis of the coupler and, as clearly shown in Figure 4, is adapted to seat a follower 41, the latter having its end portions 42 extending into the lateral recesses 43 of the portion 34. The follower is yieldably maintained in contact with the portion 40v `by means of the springs 44, the

latter being maintained in position and under the desired amount of precompression by the block 45 which is adapted to close the' upper end of the recess 34 and being maintained in posi"" axis` of the coupler and yieldably acted upon by the fol# lower 41, the vertical axis of the coupler and the yoke 17 will normally be yieldably maintained in substantially the same plane.

The maximum diameter of the stem 38 of the coupler is slightlyless than the internal diameter of the cylindrical portion 33 of the member 25 and likewise the maximum diameter of the shoulder portion 39 of the stem 38 is slightly less in diameter than the internal diameter of the recess 34. It will be obvious, therefore, that the coupler head 16 can be rotated relative to the member 25 and that over the portion or range of the rotation in which the springs 44 are under progressive compression, on release of the force which caused or brought about the relative rotation'of the members 3S and 27, the springs position.

ln Figures 7" to Vl0, inclusive, there is illustrated l one-piece casing or part 49. The outer diameter of the openings through which secur-` coupler stem or part 50 is slightly less than the internal diameter 51 of the outer extremity of the casing member 49 and adjacent the inner end of this hollow portion there is-provided an enlarged semi-circular portion 52. The stem 50 of the coupler 16 is provided, as most clearly shown in Figure 9, with a recess 53 and a flat upper face 54. The side walls of the part 49 are provided with shoulders 55 underlying the end of a follower 56, the latter having a flat face 57 cooperating with the face 54 of the coupler stem t). interposed between the upper face of the follower 56 and the cover plate 58 are springs 59 which yieldably maintain the coupler 16 against rotation.

At a point in the rear of the recess 53 in the casing 49 the coupler stem 50 is provided with a circumferential groove 60 having a square shoulder 61. There is provided an interlock between the stem 50 and the casing 49 which comprises a pair of blocks 62 and 63. The block 62 fits Within the recess 52 and as it is of greater depth than the groove 60, it extends into the recess 52 and thus in cooperation with the block 63 maintains the coupler 16 in interlocking engagement with the casing 49. The blocks 62 and 63 are provided on their inner faces with curved surfaces 64 which are adapted to embrace the eX- terior of the stem 50 in the bottom of the groove 60. Interposed between the upper face of the block 63 and the cover plate 5S there are provided springs 65 which maintain the block 63 within the groove 60 and which permit of the removal of the blocks 62 and 63 upon removal of the cover plate 58.

The assembly of this device is believed to be clear from a consideration of the springs. The stem 50 of the coupler is inserted into the hollow cavity of the member 49 until the groove 60 coincides with the recess 52. The block 62 is then interposed and the block 63 is then positioned above the block 62, having its inner surface in engagement with the bottom of the groove 60 and the side walls in engagement with the side walls of the groove. The follower 56 is then inserted and the cover plate 58 is positioned over both sets of springs and retained in position by the bolts 66. It will be obvious that by providing springs of different length and by forcing the cover plate into immediate contact with the adjacent portions of the casing 49, the preliminary or precompression of the springs 59 and 65 can be determined.

The casing 49 is connected to the yoke 17 by means of a transverse key 24, as illustrated in connection with Figures 1 to 6, inclusive. Other details of construction are substantially duplicates of those which have been previously described, and further description of the same is therefore believed to be unnecessary.

Having now described my invention in detail, what I claim and desire to obtain by Letters Patent is:

l. In a device of the character described, the combination with a yoke, of a coupler, key means for operatively connecting said coupler and yoke, and means interposed between a head of said coupler and said yoke for rotative movement of said head out of a normal position relative to said yoke, and means for yieldably maintaining said coupler and yoke in said normal position.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with a yoke of a two-part coupler shank, one of said parts being connected to said yoke, the other of said parts being rigidly connected to a head of said coupler and having a rotative connection with said rst named part, means for maintaining said parts in assembled relation, and means for yieldably resisting relative rotation of said parts.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with a yoke of a two-part coupler shank, one of said parts being connected to said yoke, the other of said parts being rigidly connected to a head of said coupler head and having a rotative connection with said first named part, one of said parts having a hollow cylindrical portion embracing a portion of the other of said parts, means for maintaining said parts in assembled relation, and means for yieldably resisting relative rotation of said parts.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination with a yoke of a two-part coupler shank, one of said parts being connected to said yoke, the other of said parts being rigidly connected to a head of said coupler and having a rotative connection with said first named part, one of said parts having a hollow cylindrical portion embracing a portion of the other of said parts, the embraced portion having a cylindrical shoulder fitting within a recess in the other of said parts, means for maintaining said parts in assembled relation, and means for yieldably resisting relative rotation of said parts.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination with a yoke of a two-part coupler shank, one of said parts being connected to said yoke, the other of said parts being rigidly connected to a head of said coupler and having a rotative connection with said first named part, a flat surface on one of said parts, a spring urged follower interposed between said parts and normally acting on said fiat surface for yieldably resisting relative rotation thereof, and means for maintaining said parts in assembled relation.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination with a yoke of a two-part coupler shank, one of said parts being connected to said yoke, the other of said parts being rigidly connected to a head of said coupler, one of said parts embracing a portion of said other part and being rotatably connected thereto through confronting cylindrical surfaces, a shoulder on one of said parts interlocking with a recess in said other part for limiting axial movement therebetween and means for yieldably resisting relative rotation of said parts.

7. In a device of the character described, the combination with a yoke of a two-part coupler shank, one of said parts being connected to said yoke, the other of said parts being rigidly connected to a head of said coupler, one of said parts embracing a portion of said other part and being rotatably connected thereto through confronting cylindrical surfaces, aligned confronting recesses in said parts, block means seated in said recesses for interlocking said parts against relative axial movement, and means for yieldably resisting relative rotation of said parts.

8. In a device of the character described, the combination with a yoke of a two-part coupler shank, one of said parts being connected to said yoke, the other of said parts being rigidly connected to a head of said coupler, one of said parts embracing a portion of said other part and being rotatably connected thereto confronting cylindrical surfaces, a at surface on one of said parts inter rupting said confronting surface thereof, a spring urged follower intermediate said parts and normally acting on said flat surface for yieldably resisting relative rotative movement of said parts and means for maintaining said parts in assembled relation.

9. In a device of the character described, the combination with a yoke member of a coupler member, means connecting said members for relative rotary movement therebetween, and means yieldable in response to a rotative force on one of said members for resisting said movement.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,549,815 Tomlinson Aug. 18, 1925 1,648,325 Regan Nov. 8, 1927 1,683,899 Kadel Sept. 11, 1928 1,878,032 Van Dorn Sept. 20, 1932 1,923,433 Gilpin Aug. 22, 1933 2,235,618 Larsson Mar. 18, 1941 2,282,146 Mealing et al. May 5, 1942 2,327,240 Barrows et al Aug. 17, 1943 2,678,137 Lounsbury May 11, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 584,779 Germany a- Sept. 23, 1933 

